J? THE - "' .:.....,..,::. . '. :: · If · I I}, \' .' , II .It It /' . : ..,----- ED ;: ...:: nu . /J'\\\\' .. o --- '''' " 0 0 . - " o . '" .. ",. THé TALK OF THé TOWN J.V otes aJzd C OJTP)?ZC1Zt G OOl) morning, children. Did an yone bring a Herald l'ribunt' to class, as I requested? Good! Now, let us turn to the .first page and read the article by former President Coolidge, as a lesson in grammar. \Villie Saunders, you read the first sentence. "\Ve have in this country a certdin type of officeholder, fortunately not large, who. . . " 'rhat's enough. Now, what does the phrase "fortunately not large" modify? Modifies "type"? rrhat is correct. IVlr. Coolidge is evidently re- ferring to sInall, wizened officeholders. Read another sentence, \Villie. "All the predominant political opin- ion of the nation which is worth cul- tivating is never impressed by decisions Inade for effect." .L-\ll right. To what docs the rel- o " h o h " f "\ Y ative pronoun w IC re er r on say you don't know and don't care? \Villie Saunders! Haven't you ever heard of a nation which is worth cultivating? \Vho will read the next sentence? All right, Marjorie, you read it. "Those who compose that body. . ." Just a minute. l"hose who cOInpose A , J' 4\\." J,ii#" \\ \\ what body, Marjorie ? You don't kno.zv what body? Don't you understand a word of what Coolidge is talking about? You don't? Very well, chil- dren, let us put the 1",.ibune away. I-Ias anyone a Monday's Mirror? G ONE is George Mayer, the 111an who attended first nights. l"hat was all he was known for: he was the man who went to openings and took his Inother. It was a career in itself. \Vhy he spent all his evenings in the theatre see111S strange, yet not so strange, either. '['0 attend preInièrcs as a private citizen, sitting in a paid seat and under no obligation to a news- '--' paper or mag3-zine to rush off and write a review of the play, is a pleasure. Surrounded, as Mr. Mayer always was, b) an audience Inade up in large part of hard-working-well, prrtty hard- working-critics, he must have en- joyed the light prickle of irresponsibilit), the warm flush of relaxation. Even aside from that advantage, he must have known the fascination of first fi1. tÆ) -.....:. . ,., W : e ';..: '" ." -.- o , þ nights. Never again does a show pos- sess the particular electrical vigor that carries it through its opening-eyen though in later performances it he- comes smoother and better. The one Inomen t, just before the rise of the curtain, is never recaptured. Mr. Mayer must have known something about that, must have liked it: the dark house, the cigarette-lighters winking here and there in the rich glooln, the glo\ving pro111ise of the footlights. T HE life of a first-nighter is not as simple as it sounds, either. There are decisions to make. \Vh en three or four shows open on a single evening, he must decide which to attend. Last week, had he been alive, Mr. Mayer would have had to decide between the [,jbby Holman show, where he would have Inet his friends, and "Twelfth Night," where he would have seen Gene Tunney. T HE Navy League of the United States has written us, asking jf \ve wouldn't write an eclitori'll on the * J "Aji J-= Navy, in honor of Nayy Day. Sure we will. Lack of space, however, com- pels us to cOlnbine the Navy editorial with an editorial wé are writing on IIeywood Broun-a difficult feat were it not that Mr. Broun is soluble in sea- \vate). and al \\,Tays looks sideways at a hattleship. \\T e shall call the editorial "Elect HeY"Tood Broun and Get Rid of the Navy by Navy I ay 1931." Mr. } roun is the onl r political person we c\'er knew to advocate getting rid of battleships without negotiations-that is, without regard to what other na- tion do. "1 e don't know how he intends to accomplish this, or whether it is sound; but if he does contemplate stIch a thing, Navy Day is the tÍIne to talk about it. In the 111ain we favor the idea. This country is a little bit suspicious of the Navy, and the Navy knows it-otherwise it wouldn't spend so much time and money for propa- ganda. Mr. Broun (to return to him) is an impractical man, but as far as that goes, he is no more impractical than the United States Navy (to